Tnemec unveils fast-curing multi-purpose floor coating

March 2016

Tnemec Company, a leading manufacturer of high-performance protective coatings, has introduced an extremely fast-curing, multi-purpose, and chemical-resistant addition to its StrataShield line of resinous floor and wall products.

The Series 256 Excellathane, a modified aliphatic polyurethane, provides a return-to-service time of three hours for light traffic and six hours for full service, as well as low-temperature cure capabilities, according to Joe Schmit, director of the StrataShield flooring division.

“Series 256 offers exceptional versatility,” Schmit explains. “It can be used as a thin film or for building aggregate, quartz, or decorative flake-filled floor topping systems. It also provides excellent resistance to yellowing, which means the floor will look better for longer. And it offers excellent gloss and colour retention as a clear coat, or when field tinted with standard StrataShield colours or custom colours.”

As a 100 per cent solids urethane, Series 256 is low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and exhibits low odour, allowing use of the coating near occupied spaces. This characteristic makes Series 256 a viable alternative to methyl methacrylate (MMA) floor coating products that exhibit a distinctively strong odour, he adds.

Another advantage Series 256 offers over MMA flooring systems is strong chemical resistance.

Schmit indicates that MMA systems are not typically strong against chemical attack. “In laboratory testing, Series 256 has demonstrated good chemical resistance, which can be a huge advantage in industrial spaces or areas where frequent cleaning is performed. The high-performance resin in Series 256 also protects against impact and abrasion,” he adds.

At a commercial kitchen in Raleigh, North Carolina in the US, Series 256 Excellathane was used to build a decorative quartz aggregate floor topping system that limited out-of-service downtime without sacrificing cleanability. In less than two hours after topcoating, the slip-resistant flooring system was cured and ready for light traffic.

Pharmaceutical companies are also using Series 256 for vivarium and biocontainment areas that require frequent wash-downs with aggressive cleaning solutions. At Jackson Laboratories in Farmington, Connecticut, also in the US, Series 256 provided increased chemical resistance and extended colour and gloss retention as a topcoat, which was applied over a decorative flake flooring system built with a polyurethane-modified cement primer and epoxy base coat.

“Tnemec’s line of StrataShield floor and wall coatings can be combined for a variety of different systems for almost any environment. Whenever a project calls for a fast-cure, high-performance flooring system, Series 256 will be a reliable option for the specifier,” Schmit concludes.

Established in 1921 and headquartered in Kansas City, the US, Tnemec manufactures more than 120 architectural and industrial coating products at its facilities in Kansas City and Baltimore. It operates distribution facilities in Atlanta, Dallas, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Seattle and Compton, California.

In the Gulf, Saudi-based Gulf Horizon is the official distributor of Tnemec products. The company is setting up a new factory in the Dammam Second Industrial City to produce Tnemec coatings.

Established in 1991, Gulf Horizon has expanded its business portfolio to various market segments including trading, contracting, petroleum services, project management, advertising and information technology. It has offices in Al Khobar and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and plans to set up operations in the rest of the GCC in the near future.

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